Sita

Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 60" X 36"

Comments from Viewers, in response to the VTS question "what is going on the image"

Patty Carreras >> fire...brimstone..wanton and physicsl desires that will lead to suffering.. March 1 at 12:10am · Like

Patty Carreras >> ‎..it is HOT in temperature..and.. color.. March 1 at 12:11am · Like

Patty Carreras >> ALso..material desires... March 1 at 12:12am · Like

Neetu Gurbani >> The references to Indian mythology are pretty obvious here, but I do not get the presence of a cherub here. March 1 at 12:46am · Like

Neat Girish >> Different Steps (desires) in the life of Boy and Girl. Marriage, Sex, Suicide, Loneliness, running away from family. Whole life I can see in this myth art. March 1 at 5:59am · Like

Trupti Godbole >> nari ke vividh roop is what came to my mind when i saw this one. she can become chandika, like the one on fire in the pic, or can become serene depicted by the lady in white, or like sita(depicted by the one with a garlans), and also have her own gloomy days (depicted by the lady sitting down with her head hanging). the three faced, multi headed or the cherub all indicate the role of the males in the life of a woman. males can be villinous like the multi headed one that reminds me of raavan, or like brahma the creator depicted by the three faced one. or they can be a woman's child giving her the experience of motherhood. but as to why the child is holding a bow, i do not understand. March 1 at 9:27am · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> ‎@ parvindar and deepti, thanks for liking this discussion March 1 at 7:21pm · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> ‎@Patty you see wanton physical and material desires in the hot temperature and colours of the painting @Neetu you see reference to Indian Mythology but the small child appears like a cherub to you, March 1 at 7:25pm · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> ‎(continuation of last comment, pressed enter by mistake :( ) . @Neetu you do not know why the cherub is there, @Girish you see different stages in life of a boy and a girl, marriage, sex, loneliness, sucide, running away from the world..@Trupti you see various avataars of a women, coy like shakuntala, beautiful and married and mother (like Sita), someone who is also sad sometimes, but can also be agressive like kali.. You see males as child of a woman, good like brahama and evil like ravana.. You do not understand why the child is holding a bow. March 1 at 7:32pm · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> I know I should not divulge much but this indeed is based on Indian mythology, hence I am so happy that even Patty could understand all this, but then Patty knows more Snaskrit then most of us here :).. March 1 at 7:34pm · Like · 2 people

Sujata Tibrewala >> A hint to the mystry of the "cherub" holding the bow, anyone knows why Dushyant created the swayamwar for Sita the way he did? March 1 at 7:35pm · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> sorry I meant janak, sita's father :( March 1 at 10:32pm · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> hey any guesses on the presence of cherub now? March 3 at 7:28am · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> thanks Parvinder for liking this discussion.. your views please ? thanks sundeep and patty for liking my comment. This proves that art can truly transcend boundaries of culture and geography. I feel providged to be part of it.. March 4 at 1:00am · Like

Trupti Godbole >> still not able to understand the presence of the child. March 4 at 9:10am · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> well when sita was about 2 years old, Janak found the celebrated bow of parshuram in one of his fields. seeing that 2 year old Sita could move the bow, which needed four soldiers to liift, gave him the idea that her groom should be able to match her powers and should be able to lift it, hence the format of swayamwar. I have shown her without clothes because she is still untamed by the society, at this stage of her life, much like Kali, a form she only takes in the end , but alas only to end her own life :(... Does it make sense now? March 5 at 8:51am · Like

Sujata Tibrewala >> well I have divulged more than I should have :( but all of your interpretations explain various aspects of what this piece is about. I am glad without any provokation from me, you all got the essence. But after the hint I have given may be you will have some more thoughts to share!! March 5 at 8:53am · Like

Deepti Kumar >> wat i feel is this the life of sita, watever she suffered thru..... frm her marriage till her agnipariksha. if i am correct. March 5 at 9:17am · Like · 1 person

Trupti Godbole >> but then why the three faced brahma if it is abt the life of sita? March 5 at 9:42am · Like · 1 person

Sujata Tibrewala >> well I have only used Sita's life as an example, so Deepthi you are right and Trupti your question is valid too.. so to answer your question, who was supposed to be "brahma" or the "god, the creator" in her life? And who was the "destroyer" in her life? Did people play the roles they were supposed to play in her life? Do people always play the roles they are supposed to in our lives? March 5 at 7:38pm · Like

Deepti Kumar >> yes they do! i feel March 5 at 10:24pm · Like · 1 person

Neetu Gurbani >> Unfortunately , people don't always play the roles they are "meant" to play, in our lives. You can call it fate or anything else, but there are always anomalies. Not everyone does what they are " supposed" to do or "expected" to do! That is life. March 7 at 2:51am · Like · 2 people

Sujata Tibrewala >> deepti, I am happy for you, I agree more with Neetu.. At broad level yes people take care of us, but if you think deeper you will realise what I am trying to say. the one's we love are the ones who hurt us as well. Those who are supposed to...See More March 7 at 9:56pm · Like · 2 people

Sujata Tibrewala >> I can come up with so many such examples from our personal lives, to our workplaces, to our society, politics, and everything else in general. Sita is just an example which many recognise, but to experience what she went through you do not need to be her, or even of her gender, you could be anywhere, any race, any part of societal or family hierarchy... March 7 at 9:59pm · Like · 2 people

Neetu Gurbani >> Beautifully said, Sujata. Ravana was a very learned scholar. He was not an ordinary raakshas, and the fact is he never forced himself upon Sita. Rama, on the other hand, proved to be a mere mortal, when he succumbed to doubt (all because of overhearing the gossip of a dhobi). He failed Sita more than anyone else. March 7 at 9:59pm · Like · 1 person

Sujata Tibrewala >> yes you are so right. And I really wonder, the lengths we go to make people we admire seem flawless. I do not want to get into a religious discussion here, but when we "idolise" someone we try to justify each fault of theirs to the point it becomes ridiculous, and then we use all the emotional tools so no one can even talk about. I suppose it happens in all religions, and I see it happening with the contemporary great personalities as well... But for contemporary people we know they live among us and we can see them still see them as humans, but how do you argue about something that happened thousands of years ago.. March 7 at 10:06pm · Like

Neetu Gurbani >> True, and that is why, as you said, you can't go into a discussion about that, because then you will be treading on thin ice with a lot of other people. March 7 at 10:40pm · Like · 1 person

What Sujata had in mind when she painted

As legend goes when Sita was two or two and a half year old, her father Janak, found an enormous bow called "Shiv Dhanush" buried under ground. While it was lying in its box, Sita could lift it herself with her little hands. Seeing this Janak was surprised because it had taken four soldiers to lift it before. This was when Janak decided her husband would be required to lift the "Shiv Dhanush", to ensure he can match her strength.

But then as she grew up she became a docile woman waiting to get married and then a shadow of her husband Rama after her marriage. Even though she is supposed to be a goddess re incarnate, adhereing to the norms of then society, she did not exercise her powers when Ravan kidnapped her, for she wanted her husband to fight him, lest she takes away the credit herself of destroying a "demon" king.

After her rescue she has to go through a fire test "agni pariksha" to prove her purity. She passed it of course and went home to be the queen. But the ghosts of her kidnap came back, when on a washerman's questioning, she was sent on an exile, even when she was pregnant, on the premise of her having stayed out of "home" for so long...

In exile she gives birth to twin sons. After years when her sons grew up to be very skillfull in the art of warfare, and the kingdom is in need of "heir", she needs to be back. The question of her "purity" returns.

Not able to take it any longer, she "goes back to the womb of mother earth, just as the legend goes...."

The way I see it Sita as a child was most alive, but she killed herself as she grew. She passes through different life stages from childhood, adolescence, marriage, post marriage. But her final act of decision and control when she ends her own life, is a moment when she lives again....